House-door letter-box



Patented Feb. V14, 1893.

cmmmoxmm wxsnwcrroN c (No Model.)

H. E. ALDRIGH. HOUSE DooE LETTER B0X.

F, C7. l Ff (2- STATES PATENT OFFICE,

HENRY E. ALDRICII, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO THE POSTAL IMPROVEMENT COMPANY, OE NORRIS- TOIVN, PENNSYLVANIA.

HOUSE-DOOR LETTER-BOX.

SPECIFICATION forming part of LStters Patent No. 491,509, dated February 14, 1893.

Application filed March 17, 1891.

To @ZZ whom t may concern.-

Be it known that I, HENRY E. ALDRICH,of Boston, in the county of Suffolk, State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Letter Boxes, of which the following is a description sufficiently full, clear, and exact to enable any person skilled in the art or science to which said invention appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in whichi Figure 1 is a front elevation of a portion of a door provided with my improved letter-box; and Fig. 2 a vertical transverse section of the same.

Like letters and figures of reference indicate corresponding parts in the different figures of the drawings.

My invention relates especially to a combined mailing and delivery letter box which is particularly adapted for use on the doors of dwelling houses; and it consists in certain novel features hereinafter fully set forth and claimed, the object being to produce a simpler, cheaper and more effective device of this character than is now in ordinary use.

The nature and operation of the improvement will be readily understood by all conversant with such matters from the following explanation:

In the drawings, A represents the doorand B the box. The door is provided in convenient position with a horizontal slot, b, the walls, g, of which diverge vertically inward. The box, B, is secured to the inner face of the door and the front wall thereof is cut away at, h, to register with said slot. In the rear wall of the box at the lower portion thereof a door, t', is formed, provided with a lock and key, j. In the top of the box a slot, on, is formed. A plate, 1J, is disposed around the outer mouth of the slot, b, said plate being secured by any suitable means to the door, A, flush with the surface thereof. A lid, q, is hinged by its lower edge to said plate and is adapted to close said slot, said lid being provided with a lock and key, r, to secure it to the door. A delivery slot, t, is formed in the lid and is closed by a spring tensioned iiap,o, hinged Serial No. 385,351. (No model.)

centrally to the inner face of said lid. Above said hinge one or more glazed openings,fw, are formed in the lid, q, to admit light through the slot, b, into the box. A verticallycurved movable partitiom, composed preferably of spring sheet metal has its lower edge hinged to the lid, q, below the openings, w, at, y. The inner edge of said curved partition rests against the rear wall, l5, of the box, B, as at, 16, in Fig. 2.

In the use of my improvement the occupants of the building dispose the mail matter to be posted in the box, B, through the slot, m, from which it falls onto the partition, az, sliding downward against the lid, q, locked by its key, r. w, enable the postman to ascertain if there is mail to be collected from the box and by unlocking the lid, q, throwing the same downward as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 2, the contents may readily be removed. The curved partition, an, sliding downward as said lid is opened serves as a chute to eject the contents of the upper compartment of the box while preventing the contents of the lower compartment from being reached.

To deliver mail the postman forces back the spring ten sioned swinging flap, v, enabling him to deposit the mail designed for the building through the slot, t, of the lid, q, in the ordinary manner of letter plates of this class. Said mail falls into the lower compartment of the box, B, through the door slot, b, and can only be removed therefrom by opening the door, z, from the interior of the house.

By use of the device described the postmau is enabled at the same time to receive matter designed for mailing and deliver mail intended for the building without disturbing the occupants thereof.

The flap, o, may be omitted and a slot cut in the partition, whereby the postulan may insert mail mat-ter in the lower compartment of the box by opening the lid, q, if desired. Or the letter slot may be provided with the ordinary iiap hinged by its lower edge, the plate, in this case being hinged to the upper edge of said iiap and slotted, and the lid, q, dispensed with.

It will be understood that thebox and mech- The windows or glazed openings,

anism described may be attached to a wall, partition or other suitable place instead'of a door. The bottom or that portion of the box, B, below the slot, b, may be removed or left open if preferred and the mail delivered through the slot, t, permitted to fall onto the floor. The box, B, may be employed independently of a door or wall, if deemed convenient, in which case the lid would close the letterl slot Yformed in a wall of the box, said lid being hinged directly to said box.

I-Iaving thus explained my invention, what I claim is.- Y .Y l. A combined mailing and delivery letter box comprising a box attachable to a door around the letter slot thereof a'door-for said slot and a plate or partition projecting across said box opposite the slot, substantially as described.

2. In a combined collection and delivery letter box, the combination of a support having a letter slot, a box into which said slot leads, a partition in the box opposite the slot, a door `for closing the slot, a letter port in the door and a flap for closing the letter port.

3. In a combined collection and delivery letter box, the combination of a support hav-Y ing a letter slot, a box into which the slotv leads, a partition in the box opposite the slot, a door for closing the slot, means for locking the door, a letter port in the door and a ilap for closing the letter port, substantially as' described.

4. In a combined collection and delivery letter box, the Ycombination of a support having a letter port, a box or casingY into which' said port leads, a partition movable Within the casing and a door for closing the port, substantially as described.

5. In a combined collection and delivery letter box, thecombination of a support having a letter slot, a box into which the slot leads, a door for closing the port, a movable partition connected to the door and a support for the free end of the partition, substantially as described.

6. In a combined collection and delivery Y letter box, a door for the letter slot pivoted to swing in one direction provided with a flap pivoted to swing in an opposite direction, and having a letter port, substantially as described.

7. In a combined collection and delivery letter box, the combination of a receptacle having separate compartments communicatlng with a single opening, a door for said opening and locking mechanism to secure said door against access to one of said compartments, as described.

8. A combined mailing and delivery letter box comprising a box into which the door letter slot opens and a vertically curved Ythe combination of a door, Wall or partition provided with a letter slot, with a box or receptacle into which said slot leads, a hinged door for closing said slot, a flap-closed slot in said door, and a movable plate oparated by said door and dividing said receptacle substantially as described.

l0. In a device of the character described, the combination of a door provided with a letter slot, with a receptacle into which said slot leads provided with a letter opening in its upper portion, a hinged slot door; locking mechanism therefor and a curved, movable bottom in said receptacle hinged to said door, substantiallyras described.

1l. A door or wall provided with a letter slot in combination with a receptacle into which said slot opens; a hinged or pivoted door closing said slot; a lock therefor; a flapclosed letter slot in said door; and a movable partition in the receptacle operated by said lid, substantially as described.

l2. In a combined collection and delivery Yletter box, the combination of a support having a letter slot, a box into which the slot leads, a door for closing the slot having a letter port, an oppositely pivoted flap for closing said port and a movable partition connected with and operated by the lid, substantially as described.

13. The door, A, provided with a letter slot, b, in combination with a hinged door closing the outer mouth of said slot; locking mechanism therefor; light openings in said door; a letter slot in said door; a receptacle, as B, provided with an opening, m, and discharge, i, and a plate, as x, hinged to said door above its letter slot its inner end being in sliding engagement with the inner Wall of said receptacle, substantially as described.

HENRY E. ALDR-IOH. Vitnesses:

O. M. SHAW, K. DURFEE.

IOO 

